


Whiskey, Lemon, Tea, and Honey

by peacefulboo



Category: Arrow (TV 2012)
Genre: Gen, Team as Family
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2014-03-31
Updated: 2014-03-31
Packaged: 2018-01-17 18:09:25
Rating: Not Rated
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 1
Words: 1,738
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/1397539
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/peacefulboo/pseuds/peacefulboo
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>Felicity gets the flu.</p>
            </blockquote>





	Whiskey, Lemon, Tea, and Honey

**Author's Note:**

> Based off a prompt from andymcnope (this is becoming a theme).

The thing about losing your family early in life is that it leaves some pretty fucking gnarly scars. The wounds left from her parents' abandonment (her father willingly and all at once, her mother slowly over time and completely without her consent) were open and deep for so long that never healed right. 

As a child she tried her damndest to hold on to them. To entice them to love her again. She was quiet and good and worked so fucking hard all the time. Nothing ever worked. 

She understands more now. Knows her mother is sick and would have kept loving her forever if her mind would have let her. And her father, well Felicity knows now that some adults suck. And it has nothing to do with the actions of five-year-old. 

But logic and perspective doesn't mean she's shed her wicked coping skills and fiercest habits. Her entire being growing up was focused on being useful and the best at whatever she decided to do. She took care of her mother and she took care of her grades and she took care of that dumb ass stray cat she found on their front porch when she was 11. 

And now she takes care of her team. She makes sure they eat and sleep and shower and that they have everything they could want and need. And damnit, she didn't actually want that role. She didn't really want any role. She was happy in her hole in the IT department. She was happy to, for once, only be responsible for herself. 

But, damnit, if it doesn't fit like a glove. 

She resents it a little at first. Especially once she gets promoted to official caretaker of Oliver Queen and can't hide from just how incredibly permanent his presence is going to be in her life. But the thing is, Felicity is a very observant woman and she's starting to realize that as much as she takes care of them, she's not in it alone. That's new. 

She starts to get the sniffles on a Tuesday and by Wednesday night she's down for the count.  
She's never been much of a sleeper but her patterns have been even more ridiculous over the last month as they ramp up their search for Slade. Her immune system doesn't have a chance to fight it. 

For the first time since Oliver's known her, Felicity fails to show up for work. Felicity never misses work. Ever. It's part of her need to be good and helpful. Calling in is the opposite of that, so she just doesn't do it. The team knows this so when she's an hour late and neither Oliver or Dig have heard from her, they go into panic mode. 

Oliver calls Sara and has her check Felicity's home since she's closer while sending Roy to the foundry. He calls her, gets her voice mail, hangs up, then calls her again. Over and over. They're ten minutes from Felicity's when Sara calls him to let him know she's safe. Pale and clammy and breathing shallow, but alive. 

“She's pretty sick,” Sara reports when Oliver asks her how bad it is. “I'll stay here with her. You can head back to the office.”

Sara knows that there's no way he or Diggle are turning around now. At the very least they'll stop in to see her with their own eyes, but it's more likely that they'll linger. 

“You should go, too. I'll be - ” Felicity's attempt to dismiss Sara is cut off by a deep, rattling cough that makes Sara wince in sympathy. 

“That's not happening, Smoak.” Sara dismisses her protests. And she knows that Felicity is really freaking ill when she doesn't protest again. Once Sara is sure Felicity's settled back in bed, she retreats to the kitchen, looking through the cupboards and fridge. When she sees just how bad they are, she calls Oliver. 

“You're going to need to make a supply run before you get here. She has nothing here in the house. Nothing. Her fridge is sadder than the mini one in the foundry.” 

Considering there's only some club soda and a block of out-of-date cheese in the mini fridge, that's saying a lot. 

“What should we get?”

“Fuck if I know. Orange juice? Soup? She's coughing a lot so maybe something for that?” Sara can hear Diggle murmur in the background. 

“Dig's got it covered.”

“Of course he does.”

When Oliver and Diggle let themselves into the apartment an hour later, hot toddy supplies, chicken soup and Vicks in hand, they find Sara and Felicity in Felicity's bed. Felicity's dozing, her head resting on Sara's belly. Sara takes turns between rubbing her fingertips along Felicity's back and running them over her hair. 

Assured that Felicity is indeed just miserable and not in any real danger, Oliver drops a kiss on Sara's head and then goes to put the perishables in the fridge and make some tea. Diggle hands the little blue tub of Vicks to Sara. 

“Have her put this on her soles of her feet the next time she wakes up. On her chest is good, too, but the feet seems to be more important. And she could probably use a steamy shower soon.” 

“She's right here,” Felicity croaks out. Her voice is getting worse and she can barely keep her eyes open. 

“Hey kiddo. How're you doing. Here's some water. Oliver will bring you tea in a minute.” Diggle crouches down so he's eye level with her. Felicity reaches out and takes the water, pushing herself up on one arm for as long as it takes to sip the water and then collapses back down. 

“'M okay,” she murmurs into Sara's belly. 

Diggle smiles and shakes his head. “That's good. We're gonna stick around for a bit, if you're okay with that. You know how much these two need to be useful.” Diggle winks at her.

Felicity gives him her best attempt at a wry smile. It comes out more like a frown. She hates it when people humor her. She's too tired to care much, though, so she closes her eyes and falls back to sleep.  
Diggle and Oliver stay another hour but there are meetings that can't get pushed that afternoon and Oliver has gotten better about prioritizing his CEO duties. Plus, playing hooky now just makes more work for himself and Felicity later, and neither of them need that. 

Sara stays with her for the next three days. The flu is nasty and there are a few time where Sara almost insists on taking Felicity to the hospital but Felicity manages to talk her down each time. 

Having someone taking care of you is exhausting. And amazing. And chaffing. And overwhelming and all sorts of things that Felicity never really considered. Once she starts to recover and is capable of staying awake for longer than an hour at a time, she thanks Sara profusely and expects to be left to her own devices once again. 

Instead, Sara stays and Oliver and Diggle come over that night with more orange juice and enough soup to feed 10 people. It's a quiet meal. A little awkward on Felicity's end. She's never had them over to her townhouse and finds herself having a hard time relaxing with them in her space. She isn't entirely sure how to act. Which sucks since she's still not feeling awesome and would love more than anything to just lay on her couch and zone out to something familiar and comforting. 

She's a little taken back when Oliver suggests she do just that. 

“Go lay down, Felicity. You don't need to entertain us. Diggle's going to show me how to make hot toddies.” 

She looks back and forth between the two men and then at Sara before shaking her head and heading into her small living room. She falls asleep quickly. She can hear them talking in low, almost droning tones and where she was irritated at having her space invaded earlier, now she finds their presence comforting. Maybe even soothing. 

She stirs when Oliver brings in the warm drink and sets it on the end table. He sits on the coffee table across from her and asks if she'd rather stay asleep. 

“No. Something hot sounds awesome right now. It still hurts to swallow.” She sits up against the arm of the couch and starts to reach behind her to get the drink, but Oliver beats her to it, picking it up and handing it to her. 

“You look better.”

“I still look like shit, so I can only imagine how bad it must have been.”

“It was weird seeing you like that. I don't think you got that pale even after you got shot.”

“I love that everything I do now can be compared to 'that one time I got shot'” She's still way more proud of that than any of the team wishes. 

Diggle and Sara come in with their own drinks in hand then and the conversation moves to different home remedies for various illness that they had been subjected to during the course of their lives. Felicity doesn't have much to add so she listens to the back and forth as she lets her eyes drift shut again. 

They get ready to leave soon after ready to leave her on her own for the first time since she got sick. 

“Thank you. For everything. You really didn't need to...” Felicity trails off because, yes, it's possible she would have been okay on her own but honestly? She did need them to take care o her. And that scares the shit out of her. 

“Anytime,” Sara replies. And then she hugs her. Warm and tight and quick. Felicity hugs her back, surprised by how much she will miss having her in her space. 

She didn't grow up with a caring family. It's been almost two decades since she had a comforting, consistent presence when she's been sick. But she realizes in this moment, as she locks her door behind them and she's left on her own again, that maybe she doesn't have to live like that anymore. Maybe she can have friends, have a family who will take care of her as much as she takes care of them. 

It's a new thought. It's a terrible thought. But she falls asleep a little less heavyhearted.


End file.
